Long service to Whanganui Civil Defence recognised
Published on 19 August 2022
Caption: Whanganui Civil Defence Long Service award recipients and other dignitaries … (from left) Minister of Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty, Whanganui District Council senior emergency management officer Anthony Edwards, Whanganui District Council emergency manager Timothy Crowe, Stuart Hylton, Frances Henderson, Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford, Darryl Couper, Eric Sim, Sandy Nepia, Dion Walker, Whanganui MP Steph Lewis, Graeme Paulger.
More than 180 years’ collective service to civil defence in the Whanganui district was recognised by Emergency Management Minister, Kieran McAnulty, at a special awards ceremony held in the Cooks Gardens Events Centre this week.
The seven current and former Whanganui District Council staff members presented with Civil Defence and Emergency Management Long Service certificates and medals were Darryl Couper (30-plus years), Frances Henderson (28 years), Stuart Hylton (29 years), Sandy Nepia (23 years), Graeme Paulger (24 years), Eric Sim (23 years) and Dion Walker (29 years). All are current council staff members except Frances Henderson and Stuart Hylton.
Kieran McAnulty is also the new Associate Minister of Local Government and was in Whanganui on Wednesday,17 August as part of a series of visits to all 55 rural and provincial councils across New Zealand. He met with Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall before the awards ceremony.
Minister McAnulty said he was delighted to be part of the event. “To serve your community for this length of time is extraordinary and I’m really pleased to see that length of service acknowledged.”
He said New Zealand was internationally renowned for civil defence. “That strength comes down to the personnel, experience and connection to the community. It’s wonderful to acknowledge your service.”
Whanganui District Council chief executive, David Langford, agreed. While being involved in civil defence emergencies over so many years would have been challenging at times, he said the award recipient’s service “showed true dedication to the Whanganui community”.
The length of time staff had stayed with the council was also significant. “Thank you for everything you do on behalf of the community and the council,” David Langford said.
The council’s emergency manager, Tim Crowe, said the opportunity to acknowledge the Civil Defence long service with Minister McAnulty was significant for the local community.
“The long service of those receiving awards gives us a very strong backbone of experience, local knowledge and commitment. These are team members who have gone above and beyond and have done so for many years.”
Citations
Darryl Couper
Darryl began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in the late 1980s. Working generally in an Intelligence role within Civil Defence, Darryl rapidly developed expertise in mapping, plotting and Geographical Information Services and took part in a number of activations and exercises in the 1990s.
In February 2004, he was involved in the emergency response to the extensive storm and flood event that severely affected the lower North Island. He was also activated for several near-miss flooding events in Whanganui in 2011 and 2013.
In June 2015, he worked continually throughout the 10-day Whanganui flood declaration response, and again in the 2017 flood declaration and evacuations. He was also active as part of the council and other agencies’ COVID-19 response in 2020.
Darryl has been an on-call emergency management duty officer for more than 10 years, a role that requires him for one week each month to be immediately available to monitor, evaluate and advise on threats, warnings or unusual events as well as to activate the Emergency Operations Centre.
He has attended multiple training activities between emergencies and has actively worked to improve the Common Operating Picture tools and processes throughout his time with Civil Defence.
Darryl has been actively involved as a Civil Defence volunteer to the Whanganui community for more than 30 years.
Frances Henderson
Frances worked at Whanganui District Council as an emergency management officer from 1993 until 2008. During her Civil Defence tenure she was involved in multiple activations, training activities and responses in addition to her duties as an emergency management officer.
Frances’ involvement in declared and non-declared emergencies spanned activations in 1994 (two responses), 1998 (two responses), 1999, 2004, 2006, and volunteering in 2015 where she worked in Message and Task Management and Response in the Emergency Operations Centre. Her knowledge and experience were vital in responding to the needs of the community during these events.
Frances retired from Whanganui District Council in June 2021 and has been recognised for 28 years’ service to the Whanganui community within Civil Defence.
Stuart Hylton
Stuart began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in February 1993, and has since been routinely involved with training, response and other activities. His response or leadership roles involved activation in 1994 (two responses), 1998 (two responses), 1999, 2004, 2006, 2015, and 2017, as well as the council and other agencies’ COVID-19 response in 2020.
He has operated in the role of Local Controller during multiple events, as well as a (combined) Civil Defence and District Health Board Local Health Controller role during the COVID-19 response in 2020.
Stuart’s experience in and understanding of the Local Controller role has also seen him act as a mentor to lesser experienced Controllers during events and training. He has also advised other volunteer members in the Emergency Operations Centre and the wider Whanganui Emergency Management community during responses.
Stuart will have been actively involved as a Civil Defence volunteer to the Whanganui community for 29-and-a-half years as of September 2022.
Sandy Nepia
Sandy began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in 1998, and has been actively involved in multiple local responses particularly within the council’s Welfare team providing direct support to those impacted by events.
Responses include (but are not limited to) events in 1999, 2004, 2015, and 2017, as well as the council and other agencies’ COVID-19 response in 2020.
Sandy will have actively contributed to the Whanganui community as a Civil Defence volunteer for 24 years as of September 2022.
Graeme Paulger
Graeme began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in 1998. He has since been actively involved in all local responses including multiple declared and non-declared emergencies. These include local and regional flood events or activations in 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2017, and the council and other agencies’ COVID-19 response in 2020.
Graeme was also deployed to the Tasman District in 2019 to provide additional support to the Nelson Emergency Operations Centre during the Pigeon Valley Fire response.
Civil Defence roles Graeme has undertaken include Intelligence, Planning, Logistics and Response Management. His current role as Whanganui Civil Defence’s Emergency Operations Centre Response Manager is vital and reflects his skill and experience during an emergency. He also actively mentors other council staff volunteers within the Emergency Operations Centre during actual events as well as training activities.
Graeme will have been actively involved as a Civil Defence volunteer to the Whanganui community for 24 years as of September 2022.
Eric Sim
Eric began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in 1998. He has since been actively involved in all local emergency responses including multiple declared and non-declared emergencies.
Eric’s Civil Defence roles have included Operations, Logistics and Response during local and regional flood events in 2004, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
Eric often provides support to Civil Defence’s Geographical Information Services and mapping capabilities as part of his Intelligence role, providing situational awareness to the Emergency Operations Centre during responses.
Eric will have been actively involved as a Civil Defence volunteer to the Whanganui community for 23 years as of September 2022.
Dion Walker
Dion began volunteering with Civil Defence at Whanganui District Council in February 1993, and has since been involved with training and emergency events on a regular basis.
His ongoing direct and indirect involvement has specifically benefitted Whanganui Civil Defence with his knowledge, skills and experience in Emergency Operations Centre functionality.
Dion’s Civil Defence roles have included Logistics, Finance, Response Management, and Emergency Operations Centre Management during events in 1994 (two responses), 2004, 2006, 2013, and 2015, as well as the council and other agencies’ COVID-19 response in 2020.
Dion will have been actively involved as a Civil Defence volunteer to the Whanganui community for 29-and-a-half years as of September 2022.